Starts Moscow May 2011, ends St Petersburg May 2011
 

This century, Russia will grow to become one of the largest economies in the world. Whether invested there or not, it will have a profound impact on portfolios, so it’s imperative those who build portfolios develop an in-depth understanding of this market and its place in portfolios. You just cannot do that sitting in an office in Australia.

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A BRIC+ Study Tour is a highly tailored, week-long, in-country program focused on one Big Rapidly Industrialising Country to materially increase delegates' understanding of the market, the investment options, and its role in portfolio construction. They are specifically designed for portfolio construction practitioners:
- principals, researchers/analysts, investment/financial advisers with an advisory firm;
- researchers/analysts with a research house, asset consulting firm, or platform;
- analysts/portfolio managers with a manage-the-manager fund manager; and
- super fund executives and trustees.
BRIC+ Study Tours are no junket. They're hard work, a total immersion in the market, with clear learning goals, objectives and outcomes. They're independent – delegates pay their own way – unlike the alternatives, the aim is not to promote specific products. The focus is on a quality program, structured around six core themes.

Our Study Tour begins in Russia’s commercial capital, Moscow. After a day of orientation and familiarisation, we have two very busy days in back-to-back economic/investment briefings and site visits, and a networking reception at the Australian High Commission. We then travel by train to Russia’s cultural capital, St Petersburg, for an in-depth briefing by our Russian elder statesman (“Oochitel”) on Russia’s complex history, society and politics, followed by further briefings and site visits, and final implementation workshop.

Economy/
Investment

Will Russia’s economy, with its heavy dependence on the oil and gas sector, emerge from the global financial crisis and continue to expand? Can Russian policy-makers return the country to high GDP growth while combating inflation? What are the investment opportunities in Russia, and how should they be assessed and accessed? What are the short- and long-term risks? We hear from selected members of our panel of local experts who work and live on a daily basis in the Russian economy and investment markets.

Politics

The Russian Federation is a presidential system with a bicameral parliament. Yet Vladimir Putin, past President and now Prime Minister, has consolidated power in the Kremlin not least by hand-picking his successor as President, Dmitry Medvedev. How will these leaders manage Russia’s increasing influence on the rest of the world, in particular its relationship with the US?

Business

Will Russia’s concentration of wealth and power and its tight links between big business and the state bureaucracy, ensure economic prosperity? We meet with business leaders (foreign and local) for a detailed discussion of the local business environment, including the key business sectors that drive Russia’s economy.

History

No visit to Russia is complete without gaining an understanding of its rich imperial history, and visiting some of its famous landmarks. We host many of our briefings at historical sites, and visit some of its iconic buildings including the Kremlin, KGB Museum, Lenin’s Mausoleum n Moscow and Catherine’s Palace, and the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.

Society

Since the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991, ordinary Russians have lived through significant change – poverty and hardship in the early years, the volatility, uncertainty and change of the late 1990s, to increasing wealth and security in the early and mid 2000s, and back to economic uncertainty caused by the global financial crisis. Local experts help us understand the socio-economic issues and their drivers, and the changing fabric of Russia’s population.

Implementation

To ensure knowledge gained on our BRIC+ Study Tour is put to good use in designing investor portfolios, the program is structured to include delegate discussion and debate during the week. This includes several implementation debates, facilitated by Graham Rich, Publisher of PortfolioConstruction Forum – including a final implementation workshop on our last day.